1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a retainer assembly for holding items on a refrigerator door shelf and more particularly to a removable retainer assembly which can be rigidly mounted on the door panel.
2. Description of Related Art
Household refrigerators are generally provided with a plurality of shelves which extend from or are integral with the refrigerator door liner. These door shelves provide for better utilization of refrigerator storage space, convenient organization of refrigerated items, and easy access to stored items. A typical refrigerator door will have specialty shelves for retaining such items as eggs or butter, and one or more flat shelves for retaining cans, jars, bottles and the like. Lateral support of stored items retained on the flat shelves is achieved by providing a front retainer or a vertical wall extending in front of each shelf to prevent the items from tipping or sliding off the shelves when the refrigerator door is opened or closed.
Pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/780,709 (Adjustable Refrigerator Door Shelf Retainer, filed Oct. 18, 1991 by RODGERS et al and assigned to the assignee of the present invention) describes a horizontally adjustable retainer which is mounted in a rectangular aperture in the refrigerator door panel. The retainer is adjustable to differently spaced positions with respect to the door panel to accommodate items of different sizes which may be placed on the shelf.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,652,032 to EROS et al discloses a removable front shelf assembly using spring clips inserted into rectangular apertures. The EROS arrangement has a U-shaped spring clip with two flanges which abut the rear surface of the door panel. The spring clip also has two front flanges which abut the front surface of the door panel. The fixed end of the spring is located in the aperture and the spring extends forwardly to where it engages the rear surface. A flange which extends further forwardly is provided to facilitate depression of the flexible spring for removal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,685 to ROBERTS et al discloses a removable front shelf assembly using spring clips inserted into rectangular apertures. The ROBERTS design has a relatively straight spring clip with one end fixed to two legs which extend through the aperture. A single flange abuts the front surface of the door panel and a single flange abuts the rear face of the panel. The ROBERTS assembly fits on the end of a straight retainer to form a right angle. The fixed end of the spring is located in the aperture and the spring extends forwardly to where it engages the rear surface. A flange which extends further forwardly is provided to facilitate depression of the flexible spring for removal.